Billiard cue with readily replaceable tip



Dec. 28, 1965 c. P. FoY

BILLIARD CUE WITH READILY REPLACEABLE TIP Filed Oct. 25, 1965 FIGJ.

FIGZ.

FIG.\.

United States Patent O 3,226,119 BILLIARD CUE WITH READILY REPLACEABLE T11 Claudius Paton Foy, 2710 Lafayette Blvd., Norfolk, Va. Filed Oct. 25, 1963, Ser. No. 319,070 1 Claim. (Cl. 273-70) This invention relates to cues used for playing pool and billiards, and more particularly to an improved means for mounting the tip on the cue in a manner that strengthens the cue against splitting and permits the tip to be quickly and easily replaced when it is worn or damaged.

In many billiard parlors there are as many as 100 tables and a number of cues must be provided for each table. Such cues are made of wood with hard rubber ferrules to which the resilient tips are glued. At times the cues split and the tips are frequently knocked oit, thereby putting the cue out of the game for several hours until a new tip can be glued on. It is therefore highly desirable to have the tip mounting so constructed that the tip may be instantly replaced and that the body of the cue will be less likely to split.

The invention contemplates the use of a cue body with its end reenforced by a long centrally positioned screw threaded metal rod which projects at both ends beyond a reduced portion or tenon on the body, and a metallic housing or sleeve which has at its center a screw threaded bore that receives the threads on an intermediate portion of the rod. rlhe sleeve has at its ends enlarged bores or sockets, the outer socket receiving a readily replaceable tip-carrying member which is threaded on the outer end of the rod, and the inner socket receiving the reduced end or tenon on the cue body. A screw threaded connection is provided between the tenon and the inner socket and the threads of that connection have a different pitch from the pitch of the threads connecting the sleeve to the central rod, so that when the sleeve is screwed onto the cue body and the central rod is then threaded through the sleeve and into the body, the sleeve will be locked to the body and cannot turn when the tip-carrying member is screwed on or olf the end of the rod.

The main object of the invention is to provide a tip mounting of the above indicated character which will permit a worn out or damaged cue tip to be instantly replaced, thereby reducing the number of billiard cues which the owner of a billiard parlor must carry for each table, and in which the end of the cue body will be more effectively prevented from splitting.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention resides in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts and the novel features of construction hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which show the present preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing, which shows the parts about twice their normal size:

FIG. l is a side elevation of the tip carrying end of a billiard cue constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the same; and

FIG. 3 is an exploded longitudinal sectional view showing the several parts separated from each other.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the numeral denotes the body of the usual cylindrical but slightly tapered billiard cue which is usually made of hard wood. The outer end of the body is reduced in diameter to provide a cylindrical tenon 11 and an annular stop shoulder 12. The body 10 is formed with a central bore 13 which extends not only through the tenon 11 but also a sublCe stantial distance to the rear thereof. Screwed into the bore is a metal reenforcing rod 14 which may have any desired number of screw threads to the inch. The rod is threaded throughout its length and a substantial portion of it projects forwardly beyond the tenon 11 since it serves to connect the body 10 both a metal reenforcing sleeve or housing 15 and a readily removable member 16 which carries the cue tip 17.

The sleeve 15 which forms an extension of the cue, may be made of aluminum or any suitable hard material and is of cylindrical shape with the same diameter as that of the body 10. At the inner end of the sleeve is an enlarged bore or socket 18 of a size to receive the tenon 11 and at its outer end is another enlarged bore or socket 19 to receive a portion of the tip-carrying member 16. Formed in the solid central or web portion of the sleeve is a central longitudinal bore 2l) which opens into the two sockets and is formed with screw threads 21 of the same size or pitch as the threads on the rod 14. The inner socket 18 is also formed with internal screw threads 22 to engage corresponding external screw threads 23 formed on the tenon 11. The screw threads 21 in the bore 20 and on the rod 14 are preferably the usual machine threads used on bolts but the threads 22 in the sockets 18 and 23 on the tenon 11 are of a different pitch, that is, they have fewer threads to the inch than the threads 21 so that when the sleeve 15 is screwed on the tenon 11 until its end engages the shoulder 12, and the rod 14 is then threaded through the bore 20 of the sleeve and into the bore 14 in the cue body, the sleeve will be locked on the body, and cannot turn when the tip-carrying member 16 is applied to or removed from the projecting outer end of the rod as later described.

While the tip-carrying member 16 may be made of metal, it is preferably constructed of one of the modern plastics. It is of cylindrical shape and has the same diameter as the sleeve 15. At the lower or inner end of the member is a central cylindrical bore or socket 24 formed with internal screw threads that receive the projecting upper end of the screw rod 14. That socketed inner end of the member 16 is reduced in diameter to tit the socket 19 whatever size and shape the latter may have. As shown the socket 19 is cylindrical in shape and is stepped to provide an inner portion 25 of smaller diameter than its outer portion. The reduced inner portion 26 of the member is similarly stepped.

The cue tip 17 is made of the usual hard but somewhat resilient material and its outer end has the conventional shape. Its inner end may be at and secured to the outer end of the sleeve by glue or other adhesive but I preferably provide on its inner end a central reduced neck portion 27 to tit a central cylindrical socket 28 formed in the outer dat end of the member 16. The interengaged parts 27, 28 not only provide more surface for gluing the tip to the member but reduce the liability of the tip being knocked off.

It is to be noted that the screw rod 14 serves to connect both the tip carrier 16 and the stationary housing or sleeve 15 to the cue body 10 in a manner that not only makes the latter less liable to split but also permits the tip carrier or member to be instantly replaced with no likelihood of the sleeve being unscrewed from the tenon. The length of the screw rod is such that it extends into the body well beyond the reduced end 11 and also projects beyond the outer socket 19 so that the tip carrier may be readily screwed on it. The several parts of the device are thus effectively united in a manner that provides a strong and durable structure at the tip end of the cue. The invention enables the owner of a billiard parlor to greatly reduce the number of cues he must carry for each table. He need only have a number of the replacement tip members 16 to keep the limited number of cues in service.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that novel and advantageous provision has been made for carrying out the objects or the invention, and While preferences have been disclosed, attention is invited to the possiblity of making variations Within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

A billiard cue with a rea-dily replaceable tip, comprising in combination a wooden cue having a body portion and -a reduced tenon portion extending coaxially from one end of said body portion to dene an annular stop shoulder lying in a plane normal to the axis of said body, sai-d tenon portion being externally threaded, said cue containing an internally threaded bore extending axially through said tenon portion and partially into said body portion;

an externally-threaded metal rod threadably mounted at one end in and extending substantially the length of said bore, said rod at its other end extending axially from said bore;

a cylindrical metal sleeve having at one end an internally-threaded rst socket portion threadably mounted upon said tenon portion, the end surface of said sleeve adjacent said rst socket portion being in abutting engagement with said annular stop shoulder, said sleeve inclu-ding also a central portion containing an internally threaded bore threadably mounted upon said rod, one end wall surface of said central portion being in abutting engagement with the end surface of said tenon portion, said sleeve containing at its other end a cylindrical second socket portion, the free extremity of said rod extending axially at least partially within said second socket portion, the screw threads of said rod and tenon having a different pitch, respectively;

a cylindrical tip-carrying member having at one end a cylindrical extension of a configuration corresponding to that of said second socket portion, the adjacent end surfaces of said sleeve and said tipcarrying member and the adjacent end surfaces of said cylindrical extension and the central portion of said sleeve being in contiguous abutting engagement, said cylindrical extension containing an internally threaded bore threadably mounted on the free eX- tremity of said rod, the other end of said tip-carrying member containing a central cylindrical socket;

a cue tip having at one end a cylindrical extension extending axially into, and having dimensions corresponding to those of, said cylindrical socket, the adjacent end surfaces of said cue tip and said tipcarrying member and the adjacent end surfaces of said cylindrical extension and said cylindrical socket being contiguous, respectively, the external surfaces of said sleeve, tip-carrying member and cue tip forming a continuous uniform extension of the outer surface fof the body portion of said cue;

and adhesive means securing together the contiguous surfaces of said cue tip and said tip-carrying member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 860,381 '7/1907 Holden 273-470 1,139,340 5/1915 Ciarlelli 273--70 1,544,696 7/1925 Sprenkel 273-70 FOREIGN PATENTS 55,575 2/1911 Switzerland.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 

